2. The Taj Mahal defies
photography, because it
changes aspect according to
the light. Pink at dawn,
white in the afternoon,
orange/red during a brilliant
sunset. Like a jewel with
many facets, it defies the
camera to capture them all
in a single shot. It requires
visits at every time of year
and every time of day and
night to witness all that it
offers.
3. "The Taj Mahal is the most symmetrical building in the world"
4.
5.
6. A story has evolved, delicate
as the carvings and jeweled
flowers on the surface of the
Taj Mahal. A ruler's favorite
wife (for he had more than
one) is on her death bed in
1631--a 39-year-old woman
in the throes of childbirth,
one that she cannot possibly
survive.
7. She has already given birth to 13
children in their 18 years of marriage,
and she had accompanied her husband
on most of the military campaigns that
beleaguered rulers must conduct. She no
longer could stand the strain.
8. Her name was Arjumand Banu Begam, but her
devoted husband, the emperor Shah Jahan, called her
Mumtaz Mahal for "light of the palace" or "elect of the
palace."
9. And then, during a stay in the Deccan, she passed away. Before
she did, Jahan--wrecked by sadness--promised her a fitting
memorial. Almost immediately he began construction of her
tomb in Agra, beside the Yamuna River.
10.
11. "She must have been a
beautiful woman," it is
said, referring to the
favorite wife of Shah
Jahan. "She was Persian
and Muslim.”
The Indian poet Tagore
described the Taj Mahal
as a "tear on the face of
eternity."
12. The Taj Mahal has been
lavished with artistic
pietra dura, inlaid stones
that resemble blossoms,
sparkling on their marble
stems. Most of the jewels
have been sliced and
carved to resemble
flowers tinted by all the
hues available in
amethyst, jade, carnelian,
onyx, coral, jasper and
turquoise.
13. India is a country full of
superlatives. Lots of
languages, hundreds of
wonderful monuments and
palaces, a great depth of
history, some of the world's
most delicious food,
precious stones of the
highest quality and fabrics
unmatched for vivid colors.
14. Marble screens surround
the cenotaphs, each
panel carved from a
single marble slab with
thousands of
perforations forming all
manner of exquisite and
perfectly matched
patterns.
15. Perfection obviously was the
goal here, and a perfect Taj
Mahal would have to occupy
the northernmost end of the
property, backed by the river
and visible from the Agra
Fort and Shah Jahan's
palaces. A less exalted tomb
also would not have a triple-
domed mosque on one side
and an identical building on
the other side--just for
symmetry
16. The gardens and parts of the
tomb have an Islamic theme,
representing the Koranic
Paradise, but for esthetic
reasons, the Taj deviated from
standard practices.
A typical Muslim tomb would be
unadorned.
It probably wouldn't be
surrounded by a high wall
marked with passages from the
Koran and topped by kiosks
designed in Hindu fashion, but
Shah Jahan's vision went far
beyond convention.
17.
18.
19. The Taj Mahal--the
translucent marble that
glows different colors
depending on the time of
day, the graceful spires,
domes and arches that
seem to be the work of
some superhuman force
with otherworldly talent.
20. The India architecture expert
G.H.R. Tillotson writes: "It is
a seductive building; to
dislike it requires a very
determined cynicism which
few can honestly sustain."
21. After 350 years, the Taj
Mahal stands
majestically as a
monument to love and
Moghul power
It shimmers. It floats.
It overwhelms.
22. We feel a closer kinship to the Taj
Mahal, which means "Crown Palace,"
partly because it's a human achievement
that can be measured in mere centuries.
Brilliant designers and highly skilled
artisans transformed dead stone into
near-translucent marble that almost
seems to breathe. They constructed an
architectural masterpiece that soars yet
balances perfectly, its many tons
appearing light as gossamer. Gravity,
winds and harsh weather still can't
weaken the structure; it only looks like a
confection.
